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Chris Taylor (Wisconsin)

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This candidate is participating in a 2026 battleground election. Click here to read more about that election.
Chris Taylor
Candidate, Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
Tenure
2023 - Present
Term ends
2029
Years in position
2
Predecessor: Michael Fitzpatrick (Nonpartisan)
Prior offices:
Dane County Circuit Court Branch 12
Years in office: 2020 - 2023
Successor: Ann Peacock (Nonpartisan)

Wisconsin State Assembly District 76
Years in office: 2011 - 2020

Compensation
Base salary
$184,995
Elections and appointments
Last election
February 17, 2026
Next election
April 7, 2026
Personal
Profession
Public Policy Director, Planned Parenthood
Contact

Chris Taylor is a judge for District IV of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She assumed office on August 1, 2023. Her current term ends on July 31, 2029.

Taylor is running for election for judge of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She is on the ballot in the general election on April 7, 2026. The primary for this office on February 17, 2026, was canceled.

On June 11, 2020, Gov. Tony Evers (D) appointed Taylor to the Dane County Circuit Court to replace Jill Karofsky, who was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment, Taylor was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.[1][2]

Biography

Taylor earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1995. Her career experience includes working as the public policy director at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2020. Previously, she worked at the firms Associate, Adelman, Adelman & Hynes; Associate, Relles, Meeker & Borns; and Associate, Balisle & Roberson.[3]

2026 battleground election

See also: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2026

Ballotpedia identified the April 7, 2026. general election as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here. Maria S. Lazar and Chris Taylor are running in the general election for Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 7, 2026. Incumbent Rebecca Bradley is not running for re-election.[4][5]

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan, but candidates often take stances on specific issues and receive backing from the state's political parties. Lazar's campaign website says she is not a member of a political party. Media outlets have identified her as a conservative, and she worked in the state's attorney general's office under J.B. Van Hollen (R).[6][7] Taylor is a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin Assembly.

Liberals are expected to have a majority on the court until at least 2028.[8] Bradley is a member of the court's conservative minority. If Lazar wins, the court would maintain its 4-3 liberal majority. If Taylor wins, the liberal majority would increase from 4-3 to 5-2.

According to the Associated Press' Scott Bauer, "The winner is elected to a 10-year term on the state’s highest court, with several hot-button issues pending including challenges to congressional district maps and the future of a state law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. The next justice will be on the court in the lead-up to the November midterm election where Wisconsin voters will elect a new governor and decide who controls the state Legislature."[9]

Lazar is a judge for District II of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She was a judge on the Waukesha County Circuit Court from 2015 to 2021 and an assistant attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice from 2010 to 2015. Before that, she worked in private practice.[10]

On her campaign website, Lazar describes her judicial philosophy: "First, our written laws are a fundamental pillar in our democracy, and a judge must be independent of agendas, parties, and bias. Next, the law is to be a level playing field: no person is above or beneath the law."[11]

Taylor is a judge for District IV of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She was a judge on the Dane County Circuit Court from 2020 to 2023 and a Democratic state legislator from 2011 to 2020. She also previously worked as the public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.[12]

Taylor's campaign website said, "Her judicial philosophy is people-centered, grounded in making sure individuals get a fair chance in our courts, and that their Constitutional rights are protected. ... She is a strong advocate for maintaining the independence of the judiciary, which must also serve as a check on the other branches of government."[13]

Liberals first won a 4-3 majority in the April 2023 election, when Janet Protasiewicz won an open seat, defeating Daniel Kelly 55.4% to 44.4% and shifting ideological control of the Court for the first time in 15 years. In April 2025, liberals retained their 4-3 majority, when Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel 55.0% to 44.9%. The last time a conservative won an election for Wisconsin Supreme Court was in 2019, when Brian Hagedorn defeated Lisa Neubauer 50.2% to 49.7%.

Campaign finance reports covering the second half of 2025 show that Taylor raised $2 million, and Lazar raised $198,000 by Dec. 31.[14][15] The 2023 and 2025 races broke records as the most expensive judicial races in U.S. history. According to WisPolitics, the candidates and satellite groups spent more than $100 million in the 2025 election and more than $56 million in the 2023 election.[16][17]

The 2025 election also had record voter turnout for a Wisconsin spring election in a non-presidential election year at 50%. The previous record was in 2023, when turnout was 39.7%. Turnout in Wisconsin’s November 2024 general election was 73% and turnout in November 2022 was 57.2%.[18]

Wisconsin is also holding elections for three intermediate appellate court judges in April 2026. In November 2026, the state will hold elections for U.S. House and governor, as well as various other state executive and state legislative offices.

Elections

2026

See also: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2026

General election

General election for Wisconsin Supreme Court

Maria S. Lazar and Chris Taylor are running in the general election for Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 7, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Maria S. Lazar
Maria S. Lazar (Nonpartisan)
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Maria S. Lazar and Chris Taylor advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.


Election campaign finance

Candidate spending

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[19][20]

If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[21]

Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.


Endorsements

Taylor received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

2023

See also: Wisconsin intermediate appellate court elections, 2023

General election

General election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV

Chris Taylor won election in the general election for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan)
 
99.0
 
412,491
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0
 
4,362

Total votes: 416,853
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Chris Taylor advanced from the primary for Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV.

Endorsements

2021

See also: Municipal elections in Dane County, Wisconsin (2021)

General election

General election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 12

Incumbent Chris Taylor won election in the general election for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 12 on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (Nonpartisan)
 
99.1
 
80,833
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
737

Total votes: 81,570
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Taylor advanced from the primary for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 12.

2020

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2020

Chris Taylor did not file to run for re-election.[22]

2018

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2018

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76

Incumbent Chris Taylor won election in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor (D)
 
98.4
 
36,891
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.6
 
587

Total votes: 37,478
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76

Incumbent Chris Taylor advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor
 
100.0
 
12,882

Total votes: 12,882
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2016

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2016

Elections for the Wisconsin State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

Incumbent Chris Taylor defeated Jon Rygiewicz in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 general election.[23][24]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Chris Taylor Incumbent 83.02% 33,628
     Republican Jon Rygiewicz 16.98% 6,877
Total Votes 40,505
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission


Incumbent Chris Taylor ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 Democratic primary.[25][26]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Chris Taylor Incumbent (unopposed)

Jon Rygiewicz ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 Republican primary.[25][26]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jon Rygiewicz  (unopposed)

2014

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2014

Elections for all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 12, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014. Incumbent Chris Taylor was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Taylor was unopposed in the general election,[27][28] and was re-elected for another term.[29]

2012

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2012

Taylor won re-election in the 2012 election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76. Taylor ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14 and in the general election on November 6, 2012.[30][31]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngChris Taylor Incumbent 99.1% 31,663
     - Scattering 0.9% 285
Total Votes 31,948

2011

See also: State legislative special elections, 2011

Taylor defeated five other opponents in the July 12, 2011 special election primary. She was unopposed in the August 9, 2011, special general election.[32][33]

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Chris Taylor has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Chris Taylor asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Chris Taylor, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Chris Taylor to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@chrisforjustice.com.

Twitter
Email

Campaign ads


Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Chris Taylor while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Media interview

Taylor stated the following in an interview with WMTV:

Why do you want to be a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court?


I have had a 30-year legal career as an attorney, a legislator, and a judge. And I have committed my career to really making sure people have access to justice and that the courts protect their fundamental rights and their freedoms and that’s what I want to continue to do on the state Supreme Court.

As a liberal candidate in this race, how does that impact your judicial philosophy?

I believe that the law is about people... I interpret law in a way that really centers the people of the state of Wisconsin and puts the people who are actually before me first. And I look at what does the text say, try to interpret the text of statutes, and then try to apply these statutes in a way that is fair, impartial, and is just to the parties.

You spent nearly a decade as a Democrat in the Wisconsin State Assembly right across the street here. How does that impact the way that you rule?

It doesn’t. I mean, I’m a judge now. Judges don’t make policies. We look at the law...But being in the legislature has made me a better judge, because what I do all day is look at state statutes. I understand the legislative process.

Are you pro-choice?

Well, I served at Planned Parenthood as the law and policy director... So yes, I value each individual’s right to make those personal private healthcare decisions.

Would you recuse yourself from any case involving Planned Parenthood or abortion in the future on the Supreme Court?

So I would not categorically just say I’m going to recuse myself to the areas of law that I practiced or the issues that I’ve worked on. But I certainly would look at each case and make that determination.

As a Democratic state legislator, you previously sponsored a bill to require judges to disqualify themselves from a case if they received campaign donations of $1,000 or more. Will you stand by that in your own campaign?

Well, I’m not, I don’t make policy now. So I proposed over 250 different bills on a variety of topics. But I don’t do that now as a judge... I do agree, however, with Chief Justice Karofsky, who recently said that we should have another look at our recusal laws and make sure that the public has an opportunity to weigh in. I think that’s a great idea.

Looking at your own campaign beyond what’s on the books now or what could be in the future. Is that a rule that you would follow yourself?

I would certainly take seriously what the public thinks and what their opinions are. But again, I’m not a policymaker. I think it’s important that all judges have the same recusal laws. And I think it’s important that the public get an opportunity to weigh in

Is there anyone that you wouldn’t accept an endorsement or donations from in this race?

I mean, I’m sure there is. I can’t say that I have a lot of billionaires lining up to fund my campaign.

Some of your critics have brought up previously when you were a legislator, you voted against Marsy’s Law to provide protections for victims of crimes. Can you explain why you voted against it?

I have spent my whole life since I was in college working on behalf of sexual assault and domestic violence victims. I authored a law in the state legislature called the Safe at Home Act that created a residential address protection program for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence so they would not have to disclose their residential addresses. I worked on a law to create a tracking system for rape kits so that sexual assault victims know the status of their cases... But when it came to Marsy’s Law, there were concerns that were expressed by advocates from the domestic violence and sexual assault communities... But Marsy’s Law passed. It is in the Constitution. I have implemented it every day as a trial court judge.


— Chris Taylor in WMTV interview (November 10, 2025)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

2023

Chris Taylor did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Chris Taylor did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Chris Taylor did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Chris Taylor campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2023Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IVWon general$23,258 $33,098
2020Wisconsin State Assembly District 76Withdrew primary$22,710 N/A**
2016Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76Won $82,577 N/A**
2014Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76Won $57,774 N/A**
2012Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76Won $100,051 N/A**
2011Wisconsin State Assembly, District 48Won $82,935 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

State legislative tenure

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Wisconsin

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2019.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2018.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2017.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2016.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2015.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2014.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2013.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2012.

In 2011, the Wisconsin State Legislature was either not in session or no scorecards were found. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a scorecard.

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Taylor was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Wisconsin committee assignments, 2017
Campaigns and Elections
Children and Families
Health
Judiciary
Ways and Means

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Taylor served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Taylor served on the following committees:

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. WBAY, "Evers appoints state Rep. Chris Taylor to circuit court," June 11, 2020
  2. NBC15, "State Rep. Chris Taylor formally resigns ahead of Dane County Circuit Court appointment," June 19, 2020
  3. Wisconsin Court System, "Judge Chris Taylor," accessed January 26, 2026
  4. X, "Matt Smith," August 29, 2025
  5. Wisconsin Public Radio, "Justice Rebecca Bradley will not seek reelection, setting up wide open Wisconsin Supreme Court race," August 29, 2025
  6. Associated Press, "Conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge Maria Lazar is running for state Supreme Court," October 1, 2025
  7. WISN ,"Conservative Judge Maria Lazar announces 2026 campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court," October 1, 2025
  8. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ap
  9. Associated Press, "Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate raises 10 times more than conservative," January 15, 2026
  10. Wisconsin Court System, "Judge Maria S. Lazar," accessed January 21, 2026
  11. Maria Lazar 2026 campaign website, "Judicial Philosophy," accessed January 21, 2026
  12. LinkedIn, "Chris Taylor," accessed January 21, 2026
  13. Chris Taylor 2026 campaign website, "Meet Chris, accessed January 21, 2026
  14. Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Chris Taylor 2026 January Continuing report," January 15, 2026
  15. Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Maria Lazar 2026 January Continuing report," January 14, 2026
  16. WisPolitics, "FRI REPORT: WisPolitics tally: Supreme Court race spending tops $100M, nearly doubling previous record," March 28, 2025
  17. WisPolitics, "WisPolitics tally shows record $59 million dropped on Supreme Court race so far," March 12, 2025
  18. Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Voter Turnout," accessed September 5, 2025
  19. OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
  20. OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
  21. Amee LaTour, Email correspondence with the Center for Responsive Politics, August 5, 2022
  22. NBC15, "State Rep. Chris Taylor not seeking re-election in 2020," March 26, 2020
  23. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates on Ballot by Election - 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed November 4, 2016
  24. Wisconsin Elections Commission, "2016 Fall General Election Results," accessed December 2, 2016
  25. 25.0 25.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate Tracking by Office," accessed June 20, 2016
  26. 26.0 26.1 Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission, "2016 Partisan Primary," accessed September 16, 2016
  27. Wisconsin Government Accountability, "Candidates Registered by Office," June 11, 2014
  28. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2014 Partisan Primary Candidates," accessed June 19, 2014
  29. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Canvass Results for 2014 General Election," December 1, 2014
  30. Government Accountability Board, "2012 Fall Partisan Primary," accessed May 5, 2014
  31. Government Accountability Board, "2012 Fall General Election," accessed May 5, 2014
  32. G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System, "Canvass Results for 2011 SPECIAL PRIMARY ELECTION ASSEMBLY 48," July 12, 2011
  33. Wisconsin State Journal, "Taylor wins uncontested race for 48th Assembly District," August 9, 2011

Political offices
Preceded by
Michael Fitzpatrick
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
Dane County Circuit Court Branch 12
2020-2023
Succeeded by
Ann Peacock
Preceded by
-
Wisconsin State Assembly District 76
2011-2020
Succeeded by
-